BABYCCINO
The philosophy behind Babyccino is an attempt at two things: building and deepening the creative and expressive relationship between mum and baby, and getting local mothers out of the house and into a beautifully fun environment encouraging them to interact and share with fellow neighbourhood mums.
The aim of Babyccino is to create a space and place for mums to feel comfortable in their motherhood skin surrounded by a laid-back, chilled-out environment: a chic meet for mod moms and their tots.
It's like going to a super-creative friend’s house for a playdate. All the artistic messy-fun, no clean up worries!
Suggested contribution: £5 per class
For more information, please contact hadasa@jewishislington.co.uk
The story of Babyccino
Postpartum depression has been a common byword lately, and more and more new mothers are having difficulty finding their individual place in the all-encompassing world of motherhood.
Babyccino was the brain child of such difficulties, as well as a need for something much more simple: a space and place where both mother and child could enjoy. The kids have it good these days, the mothers… eh, not so much. Play spaces seem to revolve around gnarly chewed-up toys, terrible music, and bad coffee for purchase. Not to mention a peeling plastic picnic table to sit at, and a bad and expensive WiFi connection. While the ‘Mommy and Me’ options weren’t much better; involving lots of “freeplay” in a grungy preschool classroom or family living room, old-school davening circle songs – which were fun for the kids but torture for the moms, and a repeat of the activities each week made it a class most moms frequented out of necessity rather than interest.
Enter Babyccino: a chic meet for mod moms and their tots. This has become our slogan, as it pretty much says it all.
#Relax. A much less complex, yet much more important element of Babyccino is the laid-back, chilled-out attitude. Like we mentioned before, this class is about the moms, and making sure they keep coming back.
We keep the room mess-free and safe until the conclusion of circle time, enabling the parents to chill and lending the kids the freedom to roam and explore without getting into trouble. Circle time in preschool is restriction enough, there is just no reason for a younger-than-preschool aged child to have to sit through anything. The davening and circle time tracks should be played loud enough that even if majority of the moms are gabbing with their neighbor and majority of the babes are wandering the room, it will still feel organized, happening, and just-structured-enough.
Like going to a super-creative friend’s house for a playdate. All the artistic, messy fun, no clean up worries!
But! Of course, the real magic happens in watching the evolving bond of mother and baby, in witnessing all the many different levels in communication, shared-experiences, and pure unadulterated joy in play. It’s all about deepening that bond, as well as the bond between the babies. Watching such young children learn to interact and share communication – of any form – with one another is really very special, and laying out an environment that encourages them to learn to be respectful little community members and cultivates a value of good citizenship, as well as a love for Torah and mitzvos. This is truly gratifying and hugely rewarding!